Miracles News

October-December, 2014

Moving in the Pause

by Rev. Mary Lenihan, O.M.C.

Rev. Mary Lenihan I want to let you know about an upcoming ongoing festivity via teleconference through Pathways of Light called “Moving in the Pause.” This free teleconference begins October 13, 2014. Drop in any Monday evening 7-8 p.m. central time. The call in number is 1.605.475.5900. The access code is: 9600657. For free books and free shipping or free download go to: http://www.pauseforinspiration.org.

Loving one another as equal lights in the world, we join together as equal bearers of this light to love! In this teleconference everyone is “the teacher,” as our focus is on our Inner Teacher, Inspiration Within. Thus, the class is Self-taught. I am simply a facilitator. Inspiration Within will assign any necessary “Home-work” assignments, thoughts to contemplate and inspire ways of being truly helpful in the world.

In this teleconference we will move through the book, Pause for Inspiration, as a practice in opening to the Teacher Within for more Inspiration! Our focus is deepening our relationship with our Inner Teacher.

I am practicing joining with people daily on the spot, on the street — wherever I am, planned and unplanned — individuals, groups and communities, and I come across dispiritedness constantly. Looking to this world, this body and one’s lonely, grieving self as one’s chosen home is indeed dispiriting.

Someone may appear to be moving along through life fine (or not), talk a good talk, look alive and well, but when I share, when prompted from Within, about pausing for Inspiration and “The 4 Decisions” practice, off come our masks. The door opens. We pause in mutual seeing as we experience our connectedness to Something More.

Here is the deal. People don’t want some lady telling them about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit or some spiritual path. Some may be okay with religious language, but are often using that language while still holding onto their images of God that are often obstacles to Ultimate Reality.

Will the Real God please stand up? Never ever did I think that my images of God, that were in fact loving, were an obstacle to meeting up with my True Self and this one, true God. Turns out I had a special relationship with God! This conveniently excluded most of the planet, including my True Self. The ego, referred to as the “cubicle heart-mind” in the Pause for Inspiration teaching, is most pleased with this special relationship for then it remains on its own self-made altar looking all holy and trying to be spiritual.

John said to me once, “You don’t love God. Go within and ask the Mentor Within if you love God.” I was appalled and offended at such a question. After all, I had written The Mentor Within, was writing Visions of Illumination and was an ordained minister! I am all over God, right? Knowing I love God with all my “heart,” I confidently, meaning I thought I already knew the answer, (watch for this cubicle confidence thing), go within and ask, “Mentor Within, do I love God?” I paused to listen for an answer that was not from the cubicle. “If you truly love God, you will love your Self. If you do not love your Self, you are ‘in love’ with an image of God which will not sustain you and in which you see yourself as less than. Love God truly and you will love your Self and your neighbor as well.”

Well, all the nerve! Yet, I absolutely knew this was absolutely true — when one hears the truth, there is no doubt. Even after years of spiritual studies and spiritual practices, I did not love my True Self — I hated my self whom I was trying to turn into a True Self. My images of God may have been my cup of tea, but while I was sipping on my tea trying to be what I thought was spiritual, no one else was being served. Hmm…. The insanity deepens.

While editing Visions, sitting outside at a café on a glorious fall day, a server who missed an opportunity to help another, caught my attention. One moment later a certain, resounding “voice,” came into my mind, “Someone needs to help these people. They need training on how to be helpful.”

This clearly Inspired Voice went on about being one another’s customers, providing supreme customer service and then I heard, “This is for the whole world.” The Voice corrected me as I assumed this was some sort of customer service training program I could launch with businesses, etc. Once again, the ego was “making an ass-umption” of itself! Pause is practicing awakening through providing Inspired customer service to one another in the midst of our 24/7.

I laugh and am taken to new depths receiving this material. Yet, as I returned to everyday life stuff, I saw how this was the beginning of the end of this “spiritual me” character and boy was I upset! It was one thing to receive this whimsical brilliance, it was quite another to accept and live. So much easier for me to talk about holiness, read spiritual material and spend time writing what I hear from Spirit, rather than living it!

I was personally insulted, just as ACIM says the ego will be, as Pause showed up in simple everyday language sharing about Love, truth, forgiveness, health, ego, special and holy relationships, awakening, who I am, and who you are. I assumed I was somewhat spiritually advanced, hence would play a large part in “my awakening”; Pause is clear of my “little willingness” part. I am now having much more fun!

I practice true forgiveness, but I was also practicing me-special version of forgiveness; conjured up mental images in my cubicle mind trying, without the light, to see the light around some body. Visions, shares a piece on this, “Trying to Experience the Love God Is — Without God.”

I had turned God into a mental experience, but I knew from experiencing God that God is a Living Presence! Why was this upsetting? There is simply nowhere for the ego to stand if God is a Living Presence. A Living God takes God out of the box, my images of God as well, and my images of “me” were busted. Inspiration said step back! But me wants a part!

Pause is saying our True Self does have a part; Living LIFE in the midst of everyday life is giving this LIFE to others — this is what it means to “awaken.” Rather than awakening being a future event, it is living LIFE now. Inspiration is an Inner Teacher, now, Who can teach us what we already know, but forgot!

At what point do I stop seeking? Two years ago on a walk I heard, “Mary, your search is over. Stop seeking for you have found and been found. You are now free to live LIFE.” As I practice pausing for Inspiration in daily routine, I receive peace and experience connection among us. This peace and connection is the understanding I was seeking.

There is much believing, talking and studying going on about God, salvation, enlightenment, yet oddly enough, in my numerous daily encounters with others, a common theme is uncovered; people missing a true relationship with the Teacher Within. Awareness of this relationship comes through calling upon Love in everyday living for guidance about everything.

Many don’t know how to do this or we forget or we do not see LIFE as having a place in the mundane. This inner relationship is the LIFEPOINT, focus and ground for living in the pause. In this relationship, I realize that life is not about me. When “me-thinks” me has something to say, me has nothing to say! In this relationship I am free of my images, expectations and ideas about awakening. I can’t have a true relationship with ego images and ideas or theologies, metaphors and books. I do have a relationship with my Inner Teacher, because it has already been given. The only way to awaken is to live an awakened life.

I am practicing living an awakened life when I am willing to pause for Inspiration; doing housework, counseling, caregiving, driving, serving others, cooking, in relationships, social media, listening, writing, following and especially with in-person contact in ordinary life with ordinary people. It’s simple and I experience my relationship with God as more real. How do I know? I am more loving. I am not hiding behind spirituality. I am living Spirit more each day. I am pausing and conversing with people and we drop into the pause together right over the lunch counter. It’s all willingness.

Moving In The Pause is the choice for the Teacher Within, in everyday life.

Focuses:

1) Willingness

2) Deepening your relationship with your Inner Teacher

3) Practice being present to Presence, listening and following Inspiration Within in routine life

4) Practice using everyday language in reference to God and Holy Spirit (i.e. Presence, Inspiration)

5) Noticing the mutual relationship between inner action and outer action; inner conversion inspires new ways of living.

6) Placing one’s whole being, body and all, in the service of Spirit Within.

7) Practice receiving Self-healing on purpose.

8) Practice letting Inspiration speak and act through you to those who cross your path; the outcome is none of our business!

True Inspiration roots and weaves daily life into one Continuous Motion, Moving In The Pause.

Rev. Mary Gerard Lenihan is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, MO. She is author of the books Visions of Illumination, The Mentor Within and the inspiring new CD Album WNYHOO Now!. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Web site: http://www.pauseforinspiration.org

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